5 Security Kits That Work Without Professional Installation

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Protecting your home doesn't have to be a complicated process with power tools, handymen, and damaged walls in a rental property. Instead, you can get a DIY security kit that uses plug-and-play functionality with adhesive backing to mount your sensors, cameras, and keypads. 

These kits fit a range of budgets, too, with setups like the ADT Blu Home Security System Starter Kit costing just over $100. If you're looking for something more premium, there are also options with plenty of sensors and features to give you peace of mind.

All of the recommendations on this list allow you to monitor doors and windows, get instant notifications when someone trips a motion sensor, and control the system using your smartphone. Some home security systems also support commands through smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, and many give you the option to expand with compatible devices like smart locks, lights, and video doorbells. And while professional monitoring is available with most kits, plenty of options let you keep an eye on things yourself without committing to a monthly subscription.

The Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit ($329.99 at Amazon) is aimed at two to four bedroom homes and comes with one base station, two keypads, eight contact sensors, two motion detectors, and one range extender for total home coverage. If you don't need the entire 14-piece kit, Ring also sells a 5-Piece Alarm Kit ($199.99 at Amazon) and an 8-piece Ring Alarm Pro kit ($299.99 at Amazon). The base station, which can be mounted on a wall or placed on any flat surface of your choosing, is what houses the siren. It comes equipped with an internal backup battery that has 24 hours of juice in case your power goes out.

The included keypads are what you'll use to arm and disarm the system with a numerical code you set. Ring's Contact Sensors live near the entry points of your home (doors and windows) and alert you when someone attempts to enter the home. If someone is actually inside, the motion detectors can alert you to the room they're in and trip the siren. The range extender does exactly as the name implies: boosts the signal from your base station to all other components.

And the Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit doesn't require any professional installation, or even any tools. Setup is simply a matter of plugging in the base station and positioning the sensors using pre-applied adhesive backings. You can always arm and disarm the system manually with a keypad, but you will need to pay a $9.99 monthly subscription for all of the app's features. 24/7 monitoring is optional and costs extra.

The SimpliSafe 9-Piece Wireless Home Security System ($234 at Amazon) is similar to the Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit, but the SimpliSafe kit includes a base station, smash-safe keypad, four entry sensors, two motion sensors, and the addition of an indoor security camera. The base station holds a powerful 95 dB siren and comes with a backup battery rated at 24 hours. You can use the keypad to arm and disarm the system with a numerical code of your choice, and you can also control the system via the SimpliSafe app on your smartphone with no monthly fee required. Smart assistant controls through the likes of Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Home do require a subscription, however. This also gets you 24/7 professional monitoring, but it's entirely optional and you get a one-month free trial to see if you like it.

As for the four entry sensors, you place them at doors and windows so they can alert you if someone attempts to enter your home unannounced. The sensors can be configured to send silent alerts to your phone (with a supported paid subscription), or have them automatically set the siren off when an entry point is opened. You can place the two motion sensors in any area you choose, like a hallway or connecting room, to alert you of intruders inside the home. 

The indoor security camera ties it all together, shooting in 1080p at a 120-degree field of view so you have constant vision inside your home, even while you're out and about. And, like the Ring Alarm kit, the SimpliSafe 9-Piece Wireless Home Security System features a tool-less and professional-free setup process — just plug the base station in and stick the sensors wherever you want them.

The Arlo Home Security System ($299.99 at Amazon, on sale for $219.99 at the time of writing) has a setup process that's about as easy as it gets, and you definitely don't need a professional's help. It comes with a wired keypad sensor hub, which acts as the brains of the operation and the keypad where you can physically arm or disarm the system. 

Along with the keypad, you get five 8-in-1 sensors that detect everything from home intrusion at an entry point and indoor motion to leaky faucets and lights turning on or off. All you have to do is plug the keypad into an outlet and stick the sensors on walls, tables, or any other flat surface using the adhesive backing.

Arlo doesn't require a subscription plan for its Home Security System and all of the basic functionality of the Arlo Secure App, but there is an optional subscription plan for 24/7 monitoring and a few bells and whistles like carbon monoxide and smoke alarm listening features. Arlo also sells the Outdoor Siren for Home Security System – Wireless ($49.99), which pairs seamlessly with the system to sound an alarm and flash a bright strobe light at the push of a button, warding off potential intruders before they even attempt to enter your home.

The eufy Security Essential Alarm System ($399.99 at Amazon, on sale for $299.99 at the time of writing) comes with a HomeBase Mini (which is akin to the base station of the other kits), a physical keypad, four entry sensors, and one motion sensor. Setup and operation is largely the same as the other DIY security kits; plug the HomeBase Mini in, hang the keypad at an accessible location to arm and disarm the system, stick the tamper-proof entry sensors at access points like doors and windows, and put the motion sensor in a room or hallway to alert you of an intruder in the home. You can also control the system via the Anker eufy app with no subscription required.

Because all you have to do is plug to protect, there is no need for professional installation help or any tools. The real power of this kit is in the expansion opportunities, though. You can connect a number of eufy security products to the security system, such as the eufy Security Video Smart Lock FamiLock S3 Max ($399.99 at Amazon, on sale for $359.99 at the time of writing), which is a solid Ring doorbell alternative. 

You can also connect the eufy Security Floodlight Camera E30 ($149.99 at Amazon, on sale for $119.99 as of writing) for greater outdoor protection. In the same vein, the company offers several other cameras, lights, sensors, and alarms that can be added to your system.

The ADT Blu Home Security System Starter Kit comes at a lower asking price of $124.50 at Amazon (on sale for $99.60 at the time of writing), but the tradeoff is that you will need a monthly subscription for this setup. You can pay month to month with no long-term commitments, but the $14.99 per month Self-Monitor subscription fee should be considered before purchasing. ADT does also offer the first 30 days free. As for the hardware and accessories, you get a base hub, three door or window sensors, one pet-friendly motion sensor, a yard sign, and four window stickers. The yard sign and window stickers serve no purpose other than to ward off potential intruders once they see your home is protected by an alarm system.

The base hub controls everything and connects to your smartphone via the ADT+ app. The door or window sensors can be mounted with screws or adhesive tape at the entry points of your home to detect break-ins. The motion sensor, which is advertised as pet-friendly so your dog won't constantly give you security alerts from the sensor, can be placed in any room or hallway that you want to keep tabs on.

Like the eufy Security Essential Alarm System, the ADT Blu Home Security System Starter Kit has a variety of expansion options, including the ADT Blu Indoor Security Camera for $34.50 at Amazon (on sale for $27.60 when written), the ADT Blu Video Doorbell Camera ($54.50 at Amazon, on sale for $43.60 at the time of writing), and much more.

In order to select these security systems, we started by making a list of key criteria to evaluate them. First and foremost, the security systems had to be easy to install as a DIY project, with no heavy tools or professional help required. We took build quality, app and physical control methods, kit size, feature set, and design into consideration when browsing major security system retailers including ADT, Arlo, eufy, Ring, and more. We also sought to include kits that span a range of budgets, from home security systems around $100 with the ADT Blu Home Security System Starter Kit to premium setups like the Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit.

With a group of potential candidates picked out, we narrowed it down to the recommendations you see above based on our own testing and analysis from guides like 9 Home Security Devices For When You're On Vacation and 7 Home Security Systems That Just Work (Without A Subscription). User and expert reviews were taken into account as well, with particular emphasis placed on those that outlined real-world pros, cons, and usage cases.

Lastly, we considered which security systems are most applicable to the majority of people looking to protect their home. In other words, do we believe the product is genuinely worth recommending to most people in the market for a security system? If so, we listed it here.